Vince Delgado, on being a "referee" . . .

By Rick Farris

He was a featherweight contender in the fifites, and has refereed dozens of world championship bouts during the past three decades. Vince, the nephew of former lightweight contender, Carlos Chavez, retired from the ring with his health and mind in tact. To this day, at age 75, he is sharp as a tack and looks as if he could box ten rounds.

There is something about boxing that can keep a man young. If you work it right, and don't stay in it "too long", the benefits of a ring career and carry thru a man's life. That's what I see when I talk with Vince Delgado. Vince looks you directly in the eyes, he does not waste time with exaggeration, he speaks from the heart and he shares a candid reality when discussing boxing.

Yesterday we had a great talk. We talked about the great trainers of his day, especially his trainer, Johnny Forbes. We have talked a lot of Johnny Forbes here, or his fighters, that is. Johnny had a great stable and knew how to teach the art of boxing. He was the man who brought us Keeny Teran and Gil Cadilli, to name a couple.

We also talked about referees, and the referees's most important role, to protect the fighters. It's not just about upholding the rules of a match, but having the knowledge and experience to recodnize when a fighter is in serious trouble. They don't teach that in Medical School. A doctor can look in a mans eyes and see signs that indicate a serious injury. However, only the referee is close enough to the boxer to to read one's eyes.

Fighter's learn to mask their pain and injury, they know that "being hurt" does not gain one sympathy in the ring, but a greater beating. Boxers can, and often do, will themselves beyond their instinct for survival just to stay in a loosing fight. They believe that as long as they are standing they have a chance, one good shot could change the outcome. They don't teach this in medical school. When you see a guy standing and attempting to fight back, the ignorant might believe that the fighter is not hurt. The referee must know "how a boxer thinks", and have the ability to read thru his actions, to know when a fighter's lies are going to get him hurt. 99% of the men who step into a professional prize ring will never admit to anybody they are hurt. They know better, weakness is not an option in a pro boxing ring.

"You have to understand body language", Vince tells me. "When I ask a kid if he's OK, I don't listen to what he says, I look at his eyes, how he moves. His voice will tell me he's 'OK', but his body will tell me he is finished, or that he has a little left in the tank." When in doubt, Vince Delgado knows that he must stop the fight. "He'll live to fight another day, and maybe can even the score, but on this day I'm not going to put his life or future in jepardy". Regardless of what the fans think, I'd rather stop a fight to early than to late."

Hall of Fame Referee Gwen Adair, the only female in history to referee a world championship boxing match, agrees. "When I was learning my trade, I learned from the best." Gwen remembers speaking with another Hall of Fame ref, the late Dick Young, on the subject of stopping fights. "Dick was an early mentor and told me it's better to stop a fight too early, rather than too late."

Today, boxing has changed drastically from what it was in years past. We have bigger men, and some brilliant athletic specimens, but very few really know how to box or fight. The problem is there is nobody with true boxing education to teach them, the secrets that molded champions in years gone by, died with the men who shared them. Today, if a guy isn't a natural talent (and how many Roberto Duran's come along?) he's at the mercy of his trainer. Defense is becoming a lost art. Today, so-called boxing experts consider a great defensive boxer a man who refususes to engage or runs like a dog. There was a time when it involved lost art moves such as blocking, slipping, countering, leading, taking control, making a guy miss and then making them pay.

With the great trainers all gone, the guys who could teach a fighter to survive in the ring without enduring a beating in the process, the role of the referee is even more important. It is important that a ref not just enforce the rules, but to understand the nature of a boxer, both in a physical and mental sense. Who better than a man who not only walked the walk, but has the intellect and common sense to save a man's life. This is Vince Delgado.

The Sate Athletic Commission is an odd organization, like boxing itself, both corrupt and political in nature. Like the guys who teach boxers today, those who govern the sport of boxing in the State of California are are a confused entity that are making decisions that will lead to further unnecessary injuries and deaths in the ring.

The powers in charge of the State Athletic Commission know better than to tell a ring official that they are "too old" to step into a ring and serve as a referee. Nobody wants a "discrimination" law suit. The officials just assign the elderly officials a ringside judging job. Sounds fair enough, right? Sadly, the answer is a big NO!. If a referee's mind is slipping and he's lost the spring in his step, then a change must be made. However, what about that exception to the rule? What about a guy like Vince Delgado?

Is it best to put a boxer at risk because somebody at the commission would prefer his bout be ref'd by some young, politically correct, inexperienced (as in never felt the impact of a left hook, personally.) new official? Fans can pressure a weak ref. The last thing the guy wants to do is anger the fans by stopping a bout "too early". But the question isn't about "too early' but "too late".

Here's a perfect example, one that I can tell first hand. In 1971, I was down three times in the fourth round of a bout at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Aside from those three, I was only dropped once briefly during my pro career. I took a good shot, but on this night, I was taking a beating and I refused to quit. I went down face first, right on TV, when I hit the canvas for the thrid time. I was badly hurt, my nose busted, etc. I heard a voice from ringside thru the darkness, "He won't get up this time!"

That voice informed me that I was down. Somehow, I got to my feet before referee, Dick Young" looked me in the eyes and asked, "How do you fell, Ricky?" I was struggling to keep my legs under me but I answered, "I'm fine, I'm OK!" I answered. Was I fine? Hell no, I was hurt bad and would likely have suffered some permanent injury had the bout been allowed to continue. "Referee Dick Young, one of my favorites, wisely stopped the bout. "I'm sorry son, but this isn't your night." young wrapped his arms around me and stopped the fioght.

Outwardly, I feined disappointment. However, inside myself I was thinking, "Thank God he stopped this fight!" I was finished. Had Dick Young listened to me, and not seen what he knew to be true, I might not be writing this today.

That Athletic commission no longer assigns Vince Delgado referee jobs. I think they need be taken to task over this reality. They are unwisely putting a young person's life in danger by disregarding the health (both physical and mental) of an experienced world class referee. More to come on this, I promise.